A Place in This World // Helaena Targaryen

6. Is and Isn't

Present day

"Is she going to slay the Jabberwocky or what?" Mally the mouse demanded. 

''Jabber... what?" Helaena asked again. 

''The Jabberwocky is tall as a dinosaur with reptilian wings, scales, long sharp claws, a pronged tail and a vest. It hisses!"

''That being you there with the Vorpal sword.'' Dum remarked

''No other swords can kill the Jabberwocky. No how.'' Dee corrected

''If it ain't Vorpal, he ain't dead.'' Dum went on. Helaena looked to the book as the illustration back to life, the girl with long silver hair, armor over her and a sword in hand. 

 As illustration moved before her eyes the girl on the scroll she swings the sword, she reveals her face to Helaena and the others. The girl on the scroll is unmistakably Helaena, with bloodlust in her eyes. Helaena took a step back nervously.

''That's not me.'' Helaena told them confidently. "i'm not... I could never... I mean there was one time I snapped but punching my awful brother and slaying a monster are completely different." Helaena assured them. "That's not me."

''I know!" Mally, the mouse declared and Helaena's gaze dropped to the little mouse who was very against her being the hero in her own dream. Helaena didnt like that. What if she was the hero, it was her dream after all, why couldnt she be brave? Be the savior?

''Resolve this for us, Absolem. Is she the right Helaena?" Rabbit demanded. Absolem looked Helaena in the eyes and she waited for him to pass his judgment upon her. Why couldn't she be a hero in her own dreams? After what seemed like an eternity of the caterpillar staring at her he spoke.

"Not Hardly.'' He blew smoke, obliterating himself from view. Helaena stared blankly at the spot where he once was.

''I told you!'' Mally shouted victoriously.

''Oh dear!'' white Rabbit declared nervously.

"I said so." Dum agreed and Helaena's face scrunched up, last time she was dreaming they were on her side, or maybe they werent, it had been a while, what happened?

''No, I said so.'' Dee countered

''Contrariwise, you said she might be.'' Dum corrected.

''No. You said she would be if she was.'' Dee shouted back the brothers face to face screaming at each other.

''Little imposter! Pretending to be Helaena! She should be ashamed!'' the flowers echoed and Helaena spun around. They were all shouting, all shouting she wasnt the right Helaena. How she wished she was, or maybe she wished she wasnt. If she wasnt Helaena then when she woke up she wouldnt have to marry Aegon, wasnt that an intriguing thought. But she knew when she woke up she would be the right Helaena. What a confusing thought.

''I was so certain of you." Rabbit said disappointed and they all glared at her as if it is somehow her fault.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be the wrong Helaena." Helaena told them but then remembered this was her dream. She could be the right Helaena and slay the jabber creature if she wanted to. SHe could be brave. she could be the hero. When she woke she wouldnt have any say in her life again. Perhaps she could have a say in this life. But she listened to them shouting and she didnt want to be here, they were all yelling at her and about her. She wanted t wake up and tell Aemond and he would make it better somehow.

 ''Wait, this is my dream. Im done with very rude animals. I'm going to wake up now and be in bed and you'll all disappear.'' She closed her eyes and pinched herself. She opened her eyes again. ''The animals are still here.'' Helaena muttered trying again, still they stared at her. ''That's curious.'' She pinched herself again. The animals just looked at her. ''Pinching usually does the trick.' Helaena said confused. The Dormouse pulled a long sharp hat pin from her scabbard.

''I could stick you if that would help." Mally offered too eagerly.

"It might actually. Thank you." Helaena agreed.

''My pleasure.'' Mally said happily. She stabbed her in the ankle with relish. Helaena yelped out her foot raising from the ground. But instead of a small sound, a thunderous roar was heard and the bandersnatch smashed through a high wall. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared back at the beast quickly approaching.

"What was that?" Helaena shouted nervously.

''Bandersnatch!'' Dee declared.

 It had a huge furry body with the head of a rabid bulldog. Drool oozed from his squashed muzzle as Helaena stared up at it, she never wanted to be home more. His fur was caked with blood and filth. His teeth were shark like and broken, stained with blood. A foul stench emanated from him as everyone scattered. But Helaena's feet were stuck to the ground with horror as the Bandersnatch got closer. 

"What's happening!" Helaena demanded watching them scurry away but as she looked around she saw red knights coming towards them surrounding them on all sides, the animals were being collected by knights with the Red Queen's crest, a heart in flames.

"Whats going on? I would really like to wake up now!" Helaena begged as she continued to pinch her thigh nervously.

The Knights capture the fleeing animals. A pig and a flamingo were caught and thrown into a caged wagon. The Dodo got away flying off but Helaena still couldnt move. She watched as the bickering creatures were not screaming out in terror. A Knight grabbed the White Rabbit by his leg, lifting him up. She was brought back to Aegon declaring he killed a rabbit and Helaena knew she had to do something before it was too late. But she didnt know what she was going to do.

''Unhand me! I do not enjoy being...'' Rabbit demanded. Helaena watched in horror as the rabbit was tossed into the caged wagon with the others. Run. Helaena could run. She ran, ran as fast as she could, but the Bandersnatch grabbed her she pulled away.

"Wait." She screamed back and the Bandersnatch seemed to pause at her demand confused. ''It's only a dream. Nothing can hurt me.'' She turned around to face it. Mally watched from behind a tree nervously, her head poked out as she stared at Helaena.

''What is she doing?'' Mally asked nervously. The Bandersnatch opened its drooling muzzle to eat Helaena, she didnt move.

''Can't hurt me...can't hurt me.'' Helaena said confidently as she let out a deep breath, staring up into its jaws.

"Run, you great lug!'' Mally groaned out. But instead Helaena found her strength, this was her dream and she was the right Helaena, the savior. She leapt onto the Bandersnatch, pulled herself up, hand-over-hand to its shoulder and drove the hatpin Mally had stabbed her with into its eye. It bellowed out in pain. She tried to pull the hatpin out as she wanted to get back on her feet instead of being flung around on the Bandersnatches back, but the whole eye popped out instead. The Bandersnatch howled and whipped around raking Helaena's arm with its long claws. She whimpered as she fell to the ground, her arm vibrant red, as blood oozed from her wound.

"Come on!" Helaena shouted for Dee and Dum and they took off, they ran down the path, but it diverged in two directions. A road sign points south to "SNUD" and east to "QUEAST". Helaena stared at it confused.

"Snud? Queast?" Helaena questioned. "Thats not high Velaryian.' she remarked. 

''This way! East to Queast!'' Dum declared grabbing Helaena's arm.

''No, south to Snud!'' Dee corrected and he pulled her the other way. Tweedledee pulled her back the other.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Helaena demanded.

This was her dream. She was the hero in this story and she was done being whipped around like a rag doll.